Pacifica City Council and Planning Commission Will Meet Tonight to Discuss Huge Proposed Expansion at Nick's Restaurant and Sea Breeze Motel

There might be two castles in Pacifica soon.

Tonight at 6pm the Pacifica City Council and Planning Commission will be meeting for a joint study session to informally discuss a major renovation of Nick's Restaurant and the , which have stood in Pacifica since the 1920s and 1953, respectively. 

The renovation plans drafted by JC Engineering, located in the Rockaway Beach Plaza, show the complete demolition of the Sea Breeze and the construction of a three-story, 75-room "boutique" hotel with 75 underground parking spaces, landscaped courts, lobby, swimming pool, conference room, gym, spa, lounge and banquet hall, among other things typical of larger upscale hotels. Nick's Restaurant would also expand and a huge aquarium viewable from outside would be installed. All in all, it’s a 12,000 gross sq. foot expansion and a doubling of Nick’s use of the available land on the site.

The informal study session, open to the public, is typical of proposed projects of this size, said Lee Diaz, associate planning director for Pacifica.

“Usually for bigger projects we like to get an idea if it will be supported,” he said. “That way, when we return for a formal study, we already know where we stand. If you have to make modifications, you already know what they’re [the Pacifica City Council and Planning Commission] looking for.”

As far as modifications go, there might need to be some made to the proposed renovation.

According to city municipal code, Diaz wrote in a staff report accompanying tomorrow night’s agenda (see attached document), 34 parking spaces and 16 bicycle parking spaces need to be added to the plan, but these requirements could be waived by the city council. Also, an ordinance adopted in 1986 by the Pacifica Redevelopment Agency allows for a fee to be paid in-lieu of these parking spaces. The fee is set at $3,000 per space.

And, according to the Rockaway Specific Plan, a building may only be three stories tall in West Rockaway, as the new Nick's would be, if it "will not restrict coastal view potential from Highway 1 more than a two story structure” and will provide an "increase in public open space over and above that which would have normally been provided."

According to Diaz's staff report, it is likely that "that the proposed building will have an impact on the coastal views from Highway 1."

He goes on to mention that the "views from the existing Days Inn and Holiday Inn Motels which are located directly east of the subject site will also be impacted."

Also, Diaz notes, this project does not provide enough public open spaces, as is required in the Rockaway Specific Plan.

There may be problems with the aesthetic of the proposed renovation, as well.

“Based on the conceptual plans, the project appears to be inconsistent with the requirements of the [Rockaway] Specific Plan as well as the applicable provisions of the City’s Design Guidelines,” Diaz said. “In particular, the Specific Plan states that the building design shall ‘coordinate all facades of each building’s exterior with regard to color, materials, architectural form and detailing to achieve design harmony and continuity…’ The Specific Plan further states that gable or hip roofs are strongly encouraged on all buildings within the West Rockaway Beach sub-area. This will gave [sic] the area a special identity and minimize a bleak appearance as seen from the highway…The design of the proposed building…does not achieve design harmony or continuity per the Rockaway Specific Plan.”

But, Diaz concludes, "staff considers the proposed boutique hotel and restaurant expansion/renovation to be consistent with the overall plan objectives defined in the Rockaway Beach Specific Plan" and that exceptions to the aforementioned design problems could be granted by the council and during the planning and environmental review process.”

Chuck Gust, owner of Nick’s, would not comment on the proposed expansion before the study session tomorrow night.  His father met with Diaz today in preparation for tomorrow’s meeting.

Planning staff has asked the city council and planning commission to address these questions at tomorrow night's joint study session:

1. Would the council/commission support the project density and design?
2. Would the council/commission support exceptions to the Rockaway Specific Plan?
3. Would the council/commission support the site layout?
4. Are there any others areas of concern the council/commission would like to address?

The joint study session will be held at 6pm at 2212 Beach Boulevard.